Wednesday, June 5, 2013

For the first time
ever, University of North Florida's Dr. Kerry Clark and
colleagues reported finding two species of Lyme disease bacteria previously
unknown to infect humans, Borrelia
americana and Borrelia
andersonii, in symptomatic patients living in the Southeastern USA.
Importantly, the commonly found lone star tick, formerly believed by many to be
incapable of transmitting Lyme disease, was implicated in some of these cases.

The research, published in the May issue of The International Journal of Medical Sciences, is extremely
significant for several reasons. First,
only one Lyme
bacterial species, Borrelia
burgdorferi sensu stricto (Bbss), was previously recognized to cause
disease in North America. Current
testing methods and interpretation criteria, designed to detect just one
species, may explain many of the
complaints involving the unreliability of Lyme disease tests in the USA.

In addition, the belief
that only black-legged "deer" ticks can transmit Lyme disease
has been widely publicized for decades.
Lyme disease risk has been calculated largely based upon the prevalence
and infection rate of these "deer" ticks, Ixodes scapularis. In fact, Yale University recently released a
new Lyme Disease Risk Map funded by a$2.9 million CDC grant which was highly contested by many.
(They only tested a total of nine black-legged
ticks from a few southern states.) Yale's map, based solely on "deer"
ticks, shows little risk to people
living outside the Northeastern USA. Clark's findings, together with past
studies implicating lone star ticks associated with Lyme disease (Masters,
Rawlings, Felz, Feir, etc.), strongly suggest otherwise.

Dr. Clark and his team identified lone star ticks,
Amblyomma americanum, removed from humans who tested positive for
Lyme bacteria, including the
species of Borrelia
burgdorferi,Bbss,
already known to cause the disease in North America. Some of
the ticks removed from the patients tested positive, too.

Lone star ticks are the most commonly found species
biting humans in the Southeastern United States. These aggressive ticks are found almost
halfway across the nation - from the deep South and as far north as Canada.
This groundbreaking research may clarify why so many humans living outside of
the Northeastern USA claim they have contracted Lyme disease** regardless of
the absence or low prevalence rate of infected black-legged
"deer" ticks.

The new findings significantly expand the geographic area
where Lyme disease should be considered by medical providers and citizens
alike. As Georgia Lyme Disease Association
president Liz Schmitz remarked, "If only one percent of these ticks are
able to transmit Lyme disease, it poses a tremendous threat to public health
because lone star ticks are known to bite humans so frequently."

Dr. Clark's work may help millions of chronically ill
people living in areas where Lyme disease wasn't previously recognized. Called The New Great
Imitator, Lyme
disease is often mistaken for illnesses such as Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Lou Gehrig's
disease, Parkinson's, ADHD, and even Alzheimer's.

** For decades, public health officials and Lyme
disease groups and organizations have heard from thousands of patients living
outside known "endemic" areas who claim they and/or their family
members contracted Lyme disease with no travel history. With 715
cases on record, Georgia was the 4th highest state in the nation in CDC-reported
Lyme cases in 1989 but reported only 10 by 2010. Most cases of southern Lyme disease now go unreported due to the different regional surveillance
guidelines used. Southern cases are often
dismissed as "false positives."

New! GALDA campaign to fund the work of Dr. Kerry Clark & colleagues: Please help us support the ongoing research efforts
of Dr. Kerry Clark by making a
tax-deductible donation to GALDA's new fundraising campaign. GALDA is an all-volunteer, non-profit 501(3)c organization. All proceeds of this campaign will go
directly to support the important work of Dr. Clark and his colleagues.

Five...ten... twenty dollars...every bit helps! Let's speed up our understanding of Lyme
disease by working together to unlock Borrelia
burgdorferi's secrets! Patients and
citizens everywhere will benefit.
Thank you for your generosity. Click here to support this great work.